Kid Brother
by Earth Star
Summary: After finishing his deliveries, Bunny looks for Jack but instead finds a baby arctic hare.


Disclaimer: I don't own this series or these characters and I don't wish to make any profits from writing this story.

Author's Note: This is a fill for a prompt on the ROTG_kink on dreamwidth

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**Kid Brother**

"Jack!" Bunny called out as he neared the lake. "Jack, ya here?" He scratched his ears. It was early morning on Easter Sunday and Bunny was hoping he could find Jack here. He'd completed his deliveries hours ago and had only one name left on his list: Jack.

He'd been certain Jack could be found at North's work shop. Jack had practically moved in with North after their battle with Pitch. However, to Bunny's surprise, North had said he wasn't there.

Bunny had a nagging feeling the two were up to something as of late. The last couple of times Bunny had caught the two they had seemed to be whispering and chuckling something under their breaths. He had thought Jack's absence was part of a prank, but North had seemed confused himself, so that didn't seem likely. Plus, North and Jack knew better than to pull a prank during Easter after what had happened last year.

Bunny grumbled, he had simply wanted to drop off some chocolate eggs for Jack and was hoping to deliver them himself. He stared at the basket he had prepared. The sun was going to rise soon and he needed to go home to get some sleep. "Guess I'll keep it at the warren till I can find him."

His ears twitched abruptly. Something had stirred behind him. Bunny paused and listened. It was definitely small and he heard heavy panting. Suddenly, a white blur burst out of the bushes and dashed between Bunny's legs.

"What the bloody heck-"

He was cut off as a large fox jumped out, but it froze at the sight of Bunny's large feet. Bunny couldn't resist giving a smirk to the predator. "Want to try to make a meal out of me, mate?"

The fox's ears flicked back and ran back into the forest where it came from. "Heh," Bunny laughed. "Thought so."

Bunny heard the heavy breathing again. He turned and saw something peek from behind Jack's tree, but as soon as it made eye contact it dashed back behind. Curious, Bunny stepped forward and peeked at the thing.

It was a small arctic hare, and upon a closer look Bunny realized it was only a kit, desperately trying to hide itself in the trunk of the tree. Bunny was puzzled. Last time he check, arctic hares were not common in Burgess.

He gently reached out and lifted it by the back of its neck. The kit panicked and began to squirm. "It's alright, it's alright," Bunny cooed as he placed his other paw beneath it - correction, 'he' upon further inspection.

The kit's whole body shook as large blue eyes stared back at him. Bunny was certain he'd seen another set of blue eyes like this, but his tired brain couldn't recall where. "Where did ya come from?" He asked like he expected the kit to answer.

The kit responded with a hiss as he tried to use his tiny paws to break free of Bunny's hold. Bunny held his grip and firmly placed it against his chest as Bunny rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him.

Did Jack find it and decide to keep it as a pet? No, that made no sense. Jack knew better than to leave a baby animal on its own, especially in the wild if he wanted to keep it alive. Besides, it was an early warm spring this year and if Jack wasn't comfortable he would be the first to point out that neither would be an arctic hare.

The kit was still attempting to break free as he tried to push his hind legs against Bunny's chest. He chuckled. "Stubborn one, aren't ya." He sighed. Bunny could just leave the kit there and let nature take it course, but it didn't feel right. It was only a kit and it deserved a fighting chance.

Bunny rose and cradled the kit to his chest. "Guess I'll take ya home till I decide what to do with ya."

The kit's eyes widened in alarm as Bunny thumped a hole and carried it down the tunnel. It was odd, there was something almost human about this kit.

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It didn't take long before Bunny found himself back in the warren and into his house. The kit had given up trying to break free, but it gave Bunny a stubborn glare as he entered his house.

Bunny placed Jack's basket on the table before he lifted the kit again to take a closer look. In the bright light, Bunny could see the kit was covered in dry patches of mud and thistles were clinging to his fur.

Bunny sighed. "Looks like ya need a bath."

The kit's ears lowered and his eyes widened like they had when facing the fox. Bunny placed the kit on the table. As much as he wanted to crawl in his bed to sleep, he would rather bathe the kit now before he tracked mud in places it wasn't needed.

"Stay here," Bunny told him as he went to get the water from the next room over. He got a basin that he normally used to wash his face and then fetched a kettle to heat the water, but after only a minute he removed it. He checked to be certain the water wasn't boiling hot before he grabbed a bottle of soap and went back to the table.

"I'm back," he called, but the kit was nowhere in sight. Bunny sighed as he placed the items on the table, not the least bit surprised. "They always try to run," he muttered.

He remained still and looked around. The door was shut, so he knew the kit hadn't escaped out into the warren. With that said, he did notice small scratch marks near the bottom of the door. There wasn't much in the room for the kit to hide in. There was only the table, a few chairs, the shelves on the wall and of course the couple of chests in the far corner where he kept his painting supplies.

Bunny smirked and nonchalantly pretended to head back into the other room. "Guess I'll go take that nap. I'll worry about bathin' later." He hid himself by the doorway and waited. As he suspected, a small white head appeared from inside the chest.

Bunny had to admit he was taken aback. He'd figured the kit was hiding behind the chest, not inside it. This kit was definitely smarter than an average hare. Still, Bunny waited. As soon as the kit dropped his guard and sat in the middle of the room, Bunny pounced.

He leapt and snatched the kit and held him in triumph in mid air. Bunny laughed as the kit hissed in annoyance and tried to wiggle free.

"Nice try," Bunny stated with a smirk. "But I was the oldest of ten brothers and sisters. I know all the tricks."

The kit froze and stared at Bunny. The annoyed expression was gone and instead seemed to be astonished. "Yeah," Bunny replied sadly as he stood. "There used to be more of me, but anyway." He pointed to the table. "Bath time."

The kit then remembered the predicament he was in and gave a hiss.

"Oi, quit whinin'," Bunny told him, placing him in the bowl. The kit hissed as his paws hit the water. Bunny held him as he spilled the water over the sides trying to escape until the kit saw there was no fighting fate and finally gave up. Bunny sighed. "Honestly, I haven't seen anyone hate a bath so much since Berry."

The kit lifted his head back and blinked curiously at him.

"My youngest brother, baby of the family." Bunny picked up the bottle of soap. "Was always gettin' himself in a mess." He took out the cork and pulled a tablespoon of soap over the kit's head. He then began to gently rub the soap into the kit's fur and drizzled a cup of water to lather the soap.

"And he'd always," Bunny continued his ramble as he washed the kit, "try to sneak out of bath time as a kit."

_Looking back on it,_ Bunny thought to himself. i_Berry was a lot like Jack./i_ He chuckled slightly. They would have been like two peas in a pod. "Berry used ta drive me crazy with his pranks."

He washed the mud off the kits paws. "Once, he filled a chocolate egg with salt and tricked me into eating it." He chuckled as he dumped water on the kit to rinse him. "And I got him back by gluing ribbons to his ears that lasted a good week."

Bunny noticed the kit had been staring at him with a curious expression, like he had been absorbing all of this information in. Bunny stroked the kits ears. "He was a pest, but little brothers tend to be that."

Bunny frowned. "Course," Bunny muttered quietly, stroking the kit's ears. "A good older brother would have been able to save him."

When the home of the pookas had been attacked, Bunny had desperately tried to find his siblings. Unfortunately, in all the chaos of Pitch's attack, Bunny had only managed to find Berry. What was most amazing was that somehow Berry had gotten his hands on and was protecting the light of the pookas, the very object that Pitch had come to destroy.

It was a hard decision, both of them had wanted to find the rest of their family, but both Bunny and Berry agreed. They had to leave the planet right then if they were to save the first light their people had sworn to protect. Bunny had never run so fast in his life and he recalled frantically glancing back to be certain Berry was keeping up with him.

Finally, they made it to an escape ship. Bunny had told Berry to stay hidden with the light as he went to get it ready. It didn't take long for Bunny to set the coordinates on the ship and stepped out to signal Berry it was time to go.

Then, it had all happened too fast. Berry's horrified expression, Bunny turning as a fearling was about to stab him and then Berry shoving him out of the way. Bunny screamed as he saw his baby brother take the attack that had been meant for him.

In his rage, Bunny took the first light and shone it in the fearling's face forcing it to disintegrate before its brilliance. Bunny didn't have time to savour the triumph and tended to Berry.

Berry had given him a weak smile. "Sorry, Aster, but looks like I can't go with ya."

"Don't say that," Aster snapped and went to gently scoop him up. "We can still-"

Berry wrapped his arm around Bunny's neck. "I won't make the trip and there's no time. Ya need to go."

Tears swelled up in Bunny's eyes as the truth struck home. Berry's wound was fatal and he knew he would die whether it was there or in the ship. Bunny had wrapped his arms around Berry for what they both knew would be the last hug they would ever share. Berry had always been such a small pooka, they had always joked he could fit into an egg basket as a kit.

"Love ya, Aster," Berry had whispered, his voice going weaker.

"Love ya too," Bunny replied and he had heard Berry give one last breath before his body went limp.

Bunny hadn't had time to grieve. He had scooped up the first light and took a final glance at Berry's still body before getting in the ship and leaving.

The rest was history, Bunny had landed on earth and gone into solitude to protect the light of his people until the fateful day when he crossed paths with North.

A small paw on his own drew Bunny out of his thoughts and forced him to glance down at the kit. He was looking up at Bunny with a concerned expression.

Bunny gave a soft smile. "It was a long time ago, and in any case." He scooped the kit up in a towel. "Ya just need a proper grooming now. Oi! No, squirming!"

Bunny carried the kit to his favorite chair and finished drying him. Bunny kept a firm hand on the kit as he dropped the towel on the floor and reached for a comb. The kit hissed with a grudge which only caused Bunny to smirk.

"Groomin' ain't that bad," he chuckled. "Kits always make it seem worse than it actually is." The kit scowled as Bunny brushed the comb down his back. As expected, the kit to his own surprise froze and found himself relaxing as Bunny gently ran the comb through his fur. The kit shut his eyes and startled himself when he purred.

"See, not so bad is it," said Bunny as he flipped the kit over to brush his belly. The kit gave no protest and yawned. The grooming was making the kit sleepy which was exactly the reaction Bunny had been hoping for. Nothing felt better than being washed and having someone else groom your fur.

The kit then shut his eyes and fell asleep as Bunny gradually turned him back on his belly. "Nap sounds good right about now."

He lay the kit in the nook of his elbow as Bunny carried him. Bunny then retrieved a leftover Easter basket and placed a small blanket inside it. The kit's nose twitched and he opened a sleepy eye, but he quickly went back to sleep as Bunny set him inside the basket and covered him with part of the blanket.

Bunny chuckled and stretched his arms. "Right, time for me to get some sleep." He took a glance back at the sleeping kit. "Then maybe I can find Jack and figure out what to do with ya.

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Bunny yawned and stretched the kinks out of his back. Easter was exhausting, but the nap afterwards always felt so good. He gave his ears a scratch as he entered the main chamber and looked over to the kit. "Mornin' sunshine!"

The kit's eyes blinked as he awoke and his ears went up as if realizing where he was. "Looks like ya had a good kip too," Bunny commented as he went to the kitchen. "Think I'll get us some brekkie."

He cut up some slices of bread to butter, slices of cheese and set out a couple of oranges. He peeked over his shoulder and saw the kit climbing out of the basket. "Don't worry," he called out. "I ain't forgettin' ya."

He got out a couple of carrots he had collected the day before and cut them up into smaller pieces for the kit. The kit sat on the table as Bunny placed the plate of carrots in front of him and then turned to bring over his own breakfast.

"I'll get ya some water after ya eaten." As he bit into his buttered bread, Bunny kept waiting for the kit to dive into the carrots.

Instead, the kit gave an annoyed look and flicked his ears. "What's wrong?" Bunny asked.

The kit then shocked Bunny by pushing away his plate of carrots with his paws and made a beeline for his plate of cheese and bread.

"Oi!" Bunny cried as he lifted the plate away. "This is mine, and that," he pointed to the plate. "Is yours."

The kit wrinkled his nose in disgust. Bunny arched an eyebrow. "A rabbit that doesn't like carrots?" He sighed. Weird, but okay, he could cope. "Got some turnip then if ya want."

The kit looked more disgusted and shook his head. "Squash?"

The kit stuck his tongue out.

"Cabbage?"

The kit gave a hiss.

"What kind of rabbit doesn't eat vegetables?" Bunny asked in disbelief. Then the kit tried to snag an orange, but Bunny scooped him up.

"Oh, no," Bunny said as he placed him on the floor with the plate of carrots. "Ya either eat that or ya stave." He sat and tore off his orange peel. "I ain't gettin' ya anything else."

You had to be firm with kits. Some of his younger siblings, especially Berry, had been picky eaters too. However, Bunny had learned long ago you just had to wait it out and they would eventually eat their food.

Bunny chewed on his cheese and watched out of the corner of his eye. The kit sniffed the carrots and seemed to be debating just how hungry he was. Finally, the kit's ears went down as he begrudgingly chewed a piece of carrot.

Bunny smirked as he finished eating. Once both he and the kit finished their meals, he gathered up their plates and pondered. He still had to locate Jack, but where else could he be?

Bunny frowned and began to worry if Jack had gotten himself into trouble. i_If he hasn't returned to North's I should-/i_

A knock came at his door. "Bunny! It's us!" Tooth called.

The kit suddenly sat up in alarm. He then turned and ran to hide behind the trunk. Bunny stared baffled. "Ya shy all of a sudden?"

"Bunny?"

"I'm comin'!" Bunny replied and went to open the door. Not only was Tooth there, but so were Sandy and North. However, something was up. Both Sandy and Tooth looked very cross and North looked like a schoolboy whose teacher had caught him sneaking out of class.

"Alright," Bunny said as he fully prepared himself and gave a grin. "What happened?" He figured one of North's inventions had gone haywire again.

"Bunny," Tooth started with a concern frown. "Jack's missing."

Bunny stopped smiling. "Missing? What do you mean?"

"North," Tooth continued in a brisk tone. "Should explain that." She then gave North an expression Bunny had seen on parents when they had just caught their child trying to jump out of a tree.

North coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Jack has...gained new ability."

"Ability?" Bunny muttered. It wasn't that surprising, with all the new believers Jack had been gaining. It was far from uncommon for a spirit to gain new powers as a result. He stared suspiciously. "What kind of ability?"

Sandy, who seemed just as angry as Tooth, produced an image of Jack. The image suddenly turned into a fox, then an owl and then back into Jack.

Bunny stared, knowing exactly what it meant. "Jack's a shapeshifter now?"

North nodded guiltily. "He can change into arctic animals, to be exact."

Bunny twitched, suddenly understanding what Jack and North's constant whispering was about. "How long?"

"A month," North replied. "We had discovered when he was imitating Phil as a joke and suddenly his hand turned into yeti hand." He chuckled slightly, but stopped as Sandy and Tooth glared at him.

Bunny took a deep breath. "North, did it ever occur to ya that, perhaps, I being a pooka, also a shapeshifter, should have been the first to know!" Bunny didn't care that Jack could shapeshift, but he knew personally just how hard it was to learn how to control it. It was nearly impossible without some guidance.

North sighed. "I had suggested to Jack, but he had wanted to surprise you all."

"As a good April Fools joke," Tooth continued, with her arms folded. "They've been practicing in secret at the workshop."

Bunny massaged his temples. "O' all the stupid-" he shook his head. He could kill North and Jack once he was certain the winter sprite was safe and sound. "What makes you think he's gone missin'?"

"Has gone to practice on his own two days ago." North ran a hand through his beard and it was then Bunny noticed the lines under his eyes. He probably hadn't slept much. "Was plan to return in time for Easter, but never showed."

Tooth bit her lower lip. "Bunny, what if Jack changed into something, but he can't change back." She back to pace back and forth. "W-what if he changed into a bird and got snagged by a cat!"

Bunny frowned and tried to resist glancing to where the kit had hidden behind the trunk. "Or perhaps a hare who got chased by a fox."

"What?" Tooth asked.

Bunny shook his head. "It's nothin'." He placed his paws onto Tooth's shoulders. "Calm down, I think I know where he is."

Tooth landed on the ground. "You do?"

Bunny nodded. "Yeah, but I need to go there myself." He folded his arms over his chest. "If he's stuck, it will be easier to change back if I'm alone with him."

Sandy and Tooth sighed in relief. North stared suspiciously, but gave a nod. "Alright, we will leave to you. We shall be at work shop."

"Where we'll be having a LONG lecture about good and bad ideas," Tooth snarled as Sandy joined in with a glare.

Bunny shut the door and tapped the door knob before he turned to the kit. The kit made a run for it, but Bunny was faster and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

Then, the laughter came and Bunny couldn't control himself as he turned the kit to face him.

"I should have known it was you, Jack." He smirked as Jack's tiny ears folded down. "You're simply adorable, mate."

Jack scowled as his nose and whiskers twitched.

"Not goin' to say anythin', Frostbite?"

Jack opened his mouth, but only a squeal came out.

Bunny frowned and concern took over. "Wait, ya really can't talk?"

Jack nodded sheepishly.

"And you're stuck, aren't ya."

Again, Jack nodded.

"Oh, Bloody-" Bunny placed him on the floor. "Stay there," Bunny said as he turned to his shelf to gather up a clay bowl and a glass vial. "Thankfully, I got a brew here that will fix that."

Jack stood on his hind legs to get a better look. Bunny placed the bowl in front of Jack and poured the liquid from the vial into it. "Ya need to drink this, but wait a sec." He snagged a blanket from the other room and draped it over Jack who gave a startled squeak.

"Wouldn't think ya want me to see ya naked," Bunny explain as Jack dug his head out from under the blanket. Bunny tapped the bowl. "Drink."

Jack sniffed the liquid and his ears folded back. However, he knelt and swallowed a few licks. Jack's body shook as he dove back under the blanket. There was a sudden pop sound and a large figure appeared underneath the blanket.

"Jack-" Bunny asked.

"YUCK!" Jack's head shot out as he sat up and wrapped the blanket around himself. "I thought your medicine was bad, but that was horrible-wait!" He flexed his human fingers. "I'm me again!"

Bunny folded his arms and tapped Jack on his head. "And ya darn lucky," he began his lecture. "If I hadn't found ya, ya'd be in some animal's stomach right now."

Jack rubbed his head and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't have any problems with it before-"

"Was this the first time ya changed completely?" Bunny asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

Jack chewed his lip and sighed. "Yeah, I transformed my arms before and legs, but this was the first time I did the whole body."

Bunny buried his face into his paw and groaned. "Jack, it's rare for a shape shifter to change back on their own the first time."

"It is?" Jack asked, as he began cover his head with the blanket in an attempt to hide.

"Yeah, course North wouldn't know that." He pulled the blanket off Jack's head. He was not getting out of this that easily. "With that said, why didn't ya do it at the pole? Would have been safer there."

Jack gave a shaky smile. "Well, I thought it would be fun if I could surprise North too." He gave a pout. "I didn't think I'd get stuck or that my ice powers wouldn't work."

Bunny raised an eyebrow. "Why did ya pick a kit to change into?"

"I didn't." Jack then let out a frustrated growl. "I was just trying to change into a full grown hare, but somehow I ended up as a baby hare." He sighed. "I also didn't expect my clothes to not change with me."

Bunny chuckled. Ah, rookie mistake most shape changers tended to make. "Got to admit, ya did make a cute kit."

Jack buried his face into his hands. "And that look is exactly why I didn't want you to find out." He peeked through his fingers. "You're not going to let me forget this are you?"

"Not for a long time." He forced Jack to stand up. "Where are ya clothes?"

"Burgess," Jack replied, sourly. "I tried to hide them under a bush."

"Right," Bunny replied as he patted Jack's shoulder. "I'll fetch them, then we'll let the others know yer all right."

Bunny proceeded to leave, but Jack held him back. "Wait, um, Bunny," Jack wrapped his arms around Bunny and gave him a hug. "Thanks, and for the record, you do make a good big brother, at least from what I've seen."

Bunny was taken aback, until he realized he never had mentioned his siblings to Jack. That would explain the surprised expressions the kit had. Bunny gave a small smile and returned the hug. "Yeah, well, I still got one annoyin' kid brother to keep an eye on."

Jack laughed and lifted his head. "And a good brother wouldn't tell the others how you gave me a bath and groomed me, right?"

Bunny grinned evilly. "Not a fat chance."

"Oh, come on!" Jack pleaded. "It's embarrassing enough as it is."

Bunny stroked his chin pretending to ponder the request deeply. "How about you agree to clean the warren for the rest of spring and summer."

"That's blackmail!"

"Naw, it's business, take it or leave it," Bunny looked Jack over. "Or, ya can just go get ya clothes yaself and give the world a free show."

Jack blushed and wrapped the blanket around himself tighter. "Fine, agreed."

Bunny laughed and ruffled Jack's hair. Somehow, Bunny knew that Berry was laughing in approval.


End file.
